Valve



April 18, 1939. .1. F. KYES 2,154,945

VALVE Filed Jan. 11, 1937 f 52 Z4 I 33 25 Elma/MM dorm E Kvsis Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALVE Application January 11, 1937, Serial No. 119,946

Claims.

This invention relates to valves, and more particularly to a valve adapted to control the distribution of pulverized fuel to a pair of combustion furnaces.

In supplying pulverized fuel by the well known "direct-fired system, it is a common practice to utilize a separate pulverizer for each furnace and to provide a separate and independent connection between each pulverizer and its particular furnace. This arrangement makes it possible to control the rate of combustion in each furnace independently by regulation of the feed of fuel to the corresponding pulverizer. If however a plant has two furnaces fired in this manner, and one of the'furnaces has to be shut down for repairs at the same time as the pulverizer associated with the other furnace, it will be apparent that neither furnace can be maintained in operation.

It is accordingly the main object of the invention to overcome this difiiculty and to provide a simple and convenient valve whereby each pulverizer may be independently connected to its respective furnace, or each of the pulverizers may be connected to the furnace normally corresponding to the other pulverizer.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive valve which will normally serve to direct the discharge from the pulverizers to their respective furnaces independently but which can be readily adjusted to direct the discharge from each pulverizer to the furnace normally fired by the other pulverizer.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a valve adapted to control the distribution of pulverized fuel or similar materials and so constructed as to avoid accumulations of the pulverized fuel in the various valve passages.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

7 Referring to the drawing illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a pair of furnaces and the associated fuel feeding apparatus;

'Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the apparatus, viewed in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section through the valve mechanism, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3,

showing the valve plug shifted to a different position; and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the valve plug removed from the valve casing.

The embodiment illustrated comprises a steam boiler furnace in having a burner I I mounted on its front wall, and a second steam boiler furnace l2 having a burner 44 mounted on its front wall. The two furnaces are laterally adjacent, and in front of them there is provided a pair of fuel pul- 1o verizers l5 and l 6 driven by electric motors l8 and 19 respectively.

A casing 2| is mounted above the pulverizers, and this casing is provided with a horizontal cylindrical bore 22. The casing 2i is provided with two inlet ports 24 and 25, and four outlet ports 21,' 28, 29 and 30, all these ports communicating radially with the bore 22. The inlet ports 24 and 25 are located at the top of the casing and in a vertical plane passing through the axis of the bore. The outlet ports 21 and 28 are located at the lower front portion of the casing and spaced approximately 135 degrees from the inlet ports. The outlet ports 29 and 39 are located at the lower rear portion of the casing and also spaced approximately 135 degrees from the inlet ports. The ports 24, 2'! and 29 are arranged in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of the bore, and the ports 25, 28 and 30 are likewise arranged in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of the 30 bore, the two planes being spaced apart a sufficient distance to allow the use of ordinary flanged pipe connections without interference.

Pipes 32 and 33 connect the inlet ports 24 and 25 with the pulverizers l5 and i6 respectively, and two delivery pipes 34 and 35 connect the front outlet ports 21 and 28 with the burners H and M respectively. A branch pipe 31 connects the rear outlet port 3! with the pipe 34, and a branch pipe 38 connects the rear outlet port 29 with the pipe 40 35. These branch connections can be readily constructed by using standard pipe Ys and degree elbows, thus providing flow passages which are free from sudden changes in direction or area.

A cylindrical plug 40 fits closely within the bore 45 22 and is held in place against axial movement by means of annular plates 4| secured to the ends of the casing and overlapping the ends of the plug.

A hexagonal boss 42 is formed on each end of the plug so that the plug may be rotatably adjusted by means of a suitable wrench. One of the plates 4! is provided with lugs 43 which cooperate with a lug 44 on the end of the plug to limit the rotary movement of the plug in the casing.

The plug 4!] is provided with two passages 46 and 4! extending transversely therethrough and arranged to register with the inlet ports 24 and 25 respectively. The opposite ends of each of these passages are spaced approximately 135 degrees apart, so that when the plug is positioned as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the passage 46 will connect the inlet port 24 with the front outlet port 27, and at the same time the passage 41 will connect the inlet port 25 with the front outlet port 28. Fuel can flow from the pulverizer I5 through the pipe 32, inlet port 24, passage 45, front outlet port 21 and pipe 34 to the burner l l, and fuel can also flow from the pulverizer l6 through the pipe 33, inlet port 25, passage 41, front outlet port 28 and pipe 35 to the burner 14. If now the plug is turned to the position shown in Fig. 5, the passage 46 will connect the inlet port 24 with the rear outlet port 29, and at the same time the passage 41 will connect the inlet port 25 with the rear outlet port 30. Fuel can then flow from the pulverizer I5 through the pipe 32, inlet port 24, passage 46, rear outlet port 29, branch pipe 28 and pipe 35 to the burner l4, and fuel can also flow from the pulverizer [6 through the pipe 33, inlet port 25, passage 41, rear outlet port Bil, branch pipe 31 and pipe 34 to the burner l I.

Thus with the plug 40 in one position, the pulverizer l5 can be used to fire the furnace l0, and the pulverizer It: can be used to fire the furnace ii. If new it becomes necessary to shut down one of the furnaces, and at the same time the pulverizer corresponding to the other furnace requires repair or is otherwise inoperative, the plug can be turned to its other position, whereupon the pulverizer !5 will be connected to the furnace l2, and the pulverizer [6 will be connected to the furnace l0. Whichever position the plug may be in, each of the pulverizers will be connected to one of the furnaces, and since these connections are indepedent the rate of combustion in the respective furnaces can be independently controlled.

Because of the simple shape of the transverse passages 4t and 41, the plug 48 can be comparatively small in diameter. This not only decreases the cost of the mechanism, but facilitates the turning of the plug. This last is of particular importance, since plug valves handling pulverized fuel tend to stick in their casings, and large valves sometimes operate with great difficulty. It will be noted that the branch pipes 31 and 38 slope downwardly away from the casing 2| so that fuel will not accumulate in these pipes when they are not in use. Such an accumulation would be highly undesirable, as it might block the pipe, or cause an explosion in the furnace by being suddenly delivered thereto when the plug is turned to its other position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. A valve comprising a casing having two inlet ports and four outlet ports, two delivery pipes, means connecting two of the outlet ports with one delivery pipe, means connecting the other two outlet ports with the other delivery pipe, and a member mounted within the casing and adjustable to two different positions, the member being aaped to provide passages which connect the inlet ports to two of the outlet ports corresponding respectively to the two delivery pipes when the member is in one position and to the other two outlet ports when the member is in the other position.

2. A valve comprising a casing having a bore with two inlet ports and four outlet ports communicating with the bore, two delivery pipes, means connecting two of the outlet ports with one delivery pipe, means connecting the other two outlet ports with the other delivery pipe, and a plug mounted Within the bore and rotatably adjustable to two different positions, the plug having two transverse passages therethrough arranged to connect the inlet ports to two of the outlet ports corresponding respectively to the two delivery pipes when the plug is in one position and to the other two outlet ports when the plug is in the other position.

3. A valve comprising a casing having a bore and two inlet ports communicating therewith, the casing having a pair of outlet ports communicating with the bore and located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bore and passing through the first inlet port, the casing also having a second pair of outlet ports communicating with the bore and located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bore and passing through the second inlet port, two delivery pipes, means connecting one outlet port of each pair to one delivery pipe, means connecting the other outlet port of each pair to the other delivery pipe, and a plug mounted in the bore and rotatably ad justable to two different positions, the plug having two transverse passages therethrough arranged to connect the iniet ports to two of the outlet ports corresponding respectively to the two delivery pipes when the plug is in one position and to the other two outlet ports when the plug is in the other position.

4, A valve comprising a casing having a bore and two inlet ports communicating therewith, the inlet ports being located adjacent to each other in a common plane passing through the axis of the bore, the casing having a pair of outlet ports communicating with the bore on opposite sides of said common plane and located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bore and passing through the first inlet port, the casing also having a second pair of outlet ports communicating with the bore on opposite sides of said common plane and located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bore and passing through the second inlet port, two delivery pipes, means connecting one outlet port of each pair and located on opposite sides of the said common plane to one de livery pipe, means connecting the other outlet port of each pair to the other delivery pipe, and a plug mounted in the bore and rotatably adjustable to two different positions, the plug having two transverse passages therethrough arranged to connect the inlet ports to the two outlet ports on one side of the said common plane when the plug is in one position and to the other two outlet ports when the plug is in the other position.

5. A valve comprising a casing having a horizontal bore and two inlet ports communicating with the bore at the top thereof, the inlet ports being located adjacent to each other in a common vertical plane passing through the axis of the bore, the casing having a pair of outlet ports communicating with the bore on opposite sides of the said common plane and located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bore and passing through the first inlet port, the casing also hav-' ing a second pair of outlet ports communicating with the bore on opposite sides of said common plane and located in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bore and passing through the second inlet port, two delivery pipes, conduits leading from one outlet port of each pair and located on opposite sides of the said common plane to one delivery pipe, conduits leading from the other outlet port of each pair to the other delivery pipe, the conduits being self-discharging by gravity into their respective delivery pipes, and a plug mounted in the bore and rotatably adjustable to two different positions, the plug having two transverse passages therethrough arranged to connect the inlet ports to the two outlet ports on one side of the said common plane when the plug is in one position and to the other two out- 5 let ports when the plug is in the other position. JOHN F. KYES. 

